


Unexplained Mysteries Forum> Personal Experiences> Vacation in Florence

by bygoshbygolly



Category: Love Is a Camera - Sophie Ellis Bextor (Music Video)
Genre: Embedded Images, Epistolary, Forum, Gen, Modern Era, Multimedia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2016-11-11
Packaged: 2018-08-30 10:07:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8528941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bygoshbygolly/pseuds/bygoshbygolly
Summary: Archive of a frozen thread from the "Unexplained Mysteries" supernatural forum, in which the OP explores a house supposedly haunted by a witch and becomes obsessed with what they find





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [And_Dream_Of_Erebor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/And_Dream_Of_Erebor/gifts).



> The music video can be found [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmPM-LZ-6y8)
> 
> (This story has a number of links to author-generated supplementary material.)

_June 1, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** posted:  
Greetings, true believers!  
So I’m in Florence for the summer to visit family, and obviously the first thing I did was sign up for a ghost tour. It’s really beautiful here, and old, and I’m sure there are a lot of great hauntings. I’m definitely going to ask my grandparents if they know any good local ghost stories, and check out some more history of the place (history: it’s where the ghosts live!), but I was wondering if anyone here had any recommendations of places to check out? Hoping I can experience a real haunting this summer

* * *

_June 1, 2016_  
**2fast2spooky** replied:  
Jealous! Tell us if you see a real ghost lol

* * *

_June 1, 2016_  
**Harlequin** replied:  
There's the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, where a sorcerer supposedly cursed a woman and turned her into stone.  
Have fun in Florence! I've heard it’s a great place to visit. Beautiful, too!

* * *

_June 1, 2016_  
**welcomevisitor** replied:  
Try the witch's house

* * *

_June 2, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
|Try the witch's house  
Can you tell me more? Sounds interesting

* * *

_June 2, 2016_  
**welcomevisitor** replied:  
||Try the witch's house  
|Can you tell me more? Sounds interesting  
My grandpa grew up in Florence and he used to tell me there was some house on a hill where a witch lives. It was what got me interested in haunted houses in the first place. Ask your grandparents if they've heard of it?

* * *

_June 2, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
@welcomevisitor So I asked my grandma and holy shit? I can't believe I hadn't heard this before! I love urban legends like this

* * *

_June 2, 2016_  
**2fast2spooky** replied:  
Wtf spill

* * *

_June 2, 2016_  
**welcomevisitor** replied:  
So, according to my grandpa, there’s a house on this hill where a witch lives. She’s always lived there forever, he says. And she would kidnap people (usually young men) from the town and eat their hearts to keep herself young. My grandpa seems to think that she's still doing it? When he was a kid they used to dare each other to go into the house, but he says no one actually went in. He also says that he was walking by the house one time and heard screaming and saw a dark figure in the window. That's the basic version, at least. The way he told it was so creepy.

* * *

_June 2, 2016_  
**2fast2spooky** replied:  
Nice

* * *

_June 3, 3016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
Huh. The story my grandma told me was a bit different.  
There’s definitely a house on the hill with a witch, and my grandma also says that the witch has always lived there. But in the version I heard she steals their souls instead of eating people’s hearts. My grandma also said she lures people in with her beauty, not kidnap them. Apparently any disappearances are blamed on the witch by locals, which is why I can't believe it's not better known.  
Either way, I kinda want to go check out this house

* * *

_June 3, 2016_  
**Harlequin** replied:  
Please do! Report back what you find. It sounds like a very interesting potential haunted house, but it might also just be superstition. It would be good to know which it is.

* * *

_June 3, 2016_  
**2fast2spooky** replied:  
Don’t get eaten by a witch lol

* * *

_June 3, 2016_  
**welcomevisitor** replied:  
Be careful! Remember she’s still supposed to live there

* * *

_June 5, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
So I went to the house. I didn’t go inside but I took a picture of it. It looks really nice. Didn’t get any psychic vibrations, though. Tomorrow I’m going to try going inside. Wish me luck!  


* * *

_June 5, 2016_  
**Harlequin** replied:  
So, I was intrigued by your story, and I think I found [another variation](http://posthelium.livejournal.com/617.html) of it. Not sure what the original source of the tale is, but this appears to be another family story. Interesting that I couldn’t find a record of the story without a reference to being told it by grandparents or parents or great-grandparents who live/lived in Florence. It really does seem like it’s just a local thing.

* * *

_June 5, 2016_  
**welcomevisitor** replied:  
That is interesting. I wonder if there’s a reason for that. It seems like something you'd want tourists to know. There are a lot of people who want to visit haunted houses.

* * *

_June 6, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
Weird!  
OK guys, I’m back, and that house is definitely haunted. I still feel cold. And I’m in Italy during the summer, so that’s really saying something.  
No disrespect to welcomevisitor or their grandpa, but honestly the ‘soul stealing’ thing seems more likely than heart eating. The house is full of old photographs. Just all over the walls. They felt alive. I felt like I was being watched the entire time. Super creepy. I took some pictures, but they’re not that great. The camera on my phone sucks. Sorry.  
But yeah. I snuck in, and looked around. I didn’t see any witch. I don’t know if I believe that part of the story anyway. The ‘she’s still here’ part. Maybe someone lives there, but I didn't see any sign of anyone, witch or not.  
The walls of the dining were covered in framed photographs. Old timey, black and white photographs. That's when I first felt cold, and the psychic vibrations were really strong. It felt like they were watching me, and like they were sad. Or scared? I’m not entirely sure (my spiritual energy isn’t as high as I would like it to be) but it was definitely very negative.  
All the rooms on the first floor were covered with photos. It was like a really creepy portrait gallery. There was a room on the end that was locked. I didn’t want to break in today. Maybe another day? The lock looked really old, it probably wouldn’t be too hard.  
I started to go upstairs, but I was struck by a really strong sense of dread. It was like ice in my veins. I couldn’t move. After about ten seconds I shook it off and I ran like HELL. I started writing this as soon as I got home and it’s about twenty minutes after I left the house and I am still shaking. I had to retype a bunch of this post to make it coherent.

Pictures: [1](http://i64.tinypic.com/oaozkx.jpg) [2](http://i66.tinypic.com/2h6h6d5.jpg) [3](http://i64.tinypic.com/2zi0bif.jpg) [4](http://i65.tinypic.com/33olbeo.jpg) [5](http://i66.tinypic.com/2qcp0r9.jpg) [6](http://i64.tinypic.com/w6wjvc.jpg) [7](http://i64.tinypic.com/2ryr9fd.jpg) [8](http://i63.tinypic.com/2lvhhmt.jpg)

  


* * *

_June 6, 2016_  
**2fast2spooky** replied:  
Holy shit bro

* * *

_June 6, 2016_  
**welcomevisitor** replied:  
No disrespect taken. I don’t think the specific details of what the witch might have done with her victims matters that much, anyway. What does matter is whether or not she killed people. It sounds like her presence is still very strong in the house. Good thing you managed to get out before anything bad happened.  
Thank you for the pictures. The last two you posted really jump out at me- the woman in white and the bearded man. All the other photos were of clean-shaven men. I wonder why these two are here?

* * *

_June 6, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
They stuck out to me too. The woman in white especially. Maybe it was just the contrast between her and the background, but it’s a really striking portrait. Too bad I couldn't get a clearer picture for you guys. I wish I could find out who these people were

* * *

_June 7, 2016_  
**Harlequin** replied:  
@imgoinggeist, what an experience! I’m glad you managed to escape safely. Did you notice any manifestations, or was the haunting strictly energy-based?  
As for the photographs. They're really very interesting. There's no consistent clothing or hair I can see. If there was some sort of sartorial commonality, it would really help narrow down when the witch may have been alive, or at least active.  
I wonder if these are her supposed victims, or if the “witch” was really just an eccentric hobbyist. Or are the pictures entirely unrelated to the story of the witch? Maybe they belong to someone else. I’ll put my research hat on and see if I can find anything else out.  
Stay safe in the meantime, and let us know if you find anything else!

* * *

_June 7, 2016_  
**2fast2spooky** replied:  
Awesome

* * *

_June 9, 2016_  
**welcomevisitor** replied:  
I’ve been thinking more about the woman in white and the bearded man. I even had a dream about them last night, if you can believe it. It’s hazy now, but I remember that it felt they were asking for help.  
I wish I could go to the house and see the photographs in person. @imgoinggeist, if you go back, could you try taking clearer pictures? Or let me know if you get any particular energies from their photos?

* * *

_June 9, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
Sorry. I don’t know if I’ll get the chance to go back. I mentioned that I’d been to the house and my grandma flipped out. I didn’t even tell anyone I went inside, just that I walked up to it and took a picture, but she started talking really fast about how I should stay away from the house or the witch would get me. I know there’s the stereotype about superstitious Italian women, but my grandma is not that person. She doesn’t even go to church (scandal!).  
Anyway, she doesn’t want me going back to the house, and my parents grounded me from going to keep her happy. This might be the end of my explorations of the house on the hill. I’ll try and get back, but no promises.

* * *

_June 9, 2016_  
**2fast2spooky** replied:  
wait, grounded? how old are you?

* * *

_June 9, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
|wait, grounded? how old are you?  
16

* * *

_June 9, 2016_  
**2fast2spooky** replied:  
Damn

* * *

_June 10, 2016_  
**Harlequin** replied:  
I’m sorry to hear you have been forbidden from going back, @imgoinggeist, but it might be for the best. Those energies you described certainly seemed very strong, and you’re pretty young.  
In other news, I’ve done my research on the photographs, and I’ve turned up something interesting.  
So, it was heard to tell with the image quality of most of these pictures, but I'd guess that the camera that took the photographs probably is from the late 1800s. Narrowing it down further is difficult, because of the variations in dress and hairstyle. Possibly she had been using the same camera over decades. Maybe she preferred it to the newer cameras that came out later.  
However, I managed to find something interesting. Some research turned up [this segment](https://forestincantata.wordpress.com/2009/08/06/mystery-book/) of a book. No idea what the author's source is, unfortunately, but it gives us a concrete period of time- 1865-1870- where there was a rash of disappearances.  
Which is curious, because the bearded man’s facial hair in particular was certainly not correct for that time.

* * *

_June 10, 2016_  
**welcomevisitor** replied:  
That’s really interesting! Thank you @Harlequin!  
I’m curious to know the source(s) the author used as well. I’d love to know more about the disappearances. Odd that you weren’t able to find any other references to them. I couldn’t find anything either though, so even just this is great.  
As for the bearded man- you said that the hairstyles and costumes spanned a long period of time- maybe he was from earlier or later than those five years?  
The history is really cool. Thanks for digging it up.

* * *

_June 10, 2016_  
**Harlequin** replied:  
As @imgoinggeist said in the original post- history is where the ghosts live!  
The facial hair wasn’t really correct for that century, in Western Europe at least, which is why I’m so interested in it. But maybe he was a rebel!

* * *

_June 10, 2016_  
**2fast2spooky** replied:  
Or a wizard. Like rasputin

* * *

_June 12, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
Hey, I’m back. Sorry. It looks like you’ve found some stuff out while I was gone. Awesome!  
I haven’t been able to get back to the house, but I did have a dream that sounds similar to the one @welcomevisitor had. The woman in white was there, and so was the bearded man. Maybe some of the other people in the pictures I saw. They kept screaming. The whole dream was just them screaming in fear. It was honestly the most terrifying dream I’ve ever had.  
I really need to get back to that house.

* * *

_June 12, 2016_  
**2fast2spooky** replied:  
Honestly going back sounds like the worst idea

* * *

_June 12, 2016_  
**welcomevisitor** replied:  
Yeah, that sounds like a bad idea. I said my dream felt like they were asking for help. Your dream sounds like a warning.

* * *

_June 13, 2016_  
**Harlequin** replied:  
@imgoinggeist?

* * *

_June 15, 2016_  
**2fast2spooky** replied:  
Shit

* * *

_June 16, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
Shit you guys. Sorry I didn’t reply. Shit just got real.  
I think I saw the woman in white.  
I took a [picture.](http://i65.tinypic.com/es3yh5.jpg)  
I realize it’s not the best angle, but I recognized her. She didn’t see me, I don’t think, but it’s freaking me out.  
What if she’s the witch?  
What do you think?

* * *

_June 16, 2016_  
**welcomevisitor** replied:  
I’m sorry, I don’t see it. She looks a little like the woman in white, but like you said, the angle isn't really that great. Besides, i'm sure there are other people who look similar to the woman in white.  
Are you ok?

* * *

_June 16, 2016_  
**Harlequin** replied:  
She looks similar, if you squint, but she can’t be the woman in white. The woman in white is dead, if not when the photograph was taken, then certainly by now.  
@imgoinggeist I think you should talk to someone. Your grandmother maybe?

* * *

_June 20, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
Saw her again today Here’s another [picture](http://i68.tinypic.com/b6spj9.jpg)  
I had the dream again  
I think she saw me this time

* * *

_June 20, 2016_  
**2fast2spooky** replied:  
Dude you need to get some help. Either a shrink or an exorcist your choice

* * *

_June 22, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
I’m going back to the house. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get there. Maybe I need to see the photographs again. Maybe I need to confront her.  
I know you guys don’t believe me. I don’t know why. You believe in ghosts, right? That’s why we’re here on this forum. I didn’t believe in witches either I guess, but I do now.  
I know you probably think I’m crazy or that this is some kind of joke. Thanks for all your help.  
I’ve still got some data left, so I’m going to try and record what I do. If nothing happens, great. If something does…I’ve left a message for my family.

* * *

_June 22, 2016_  
**welcomevisitor** replied:  
Don’t go back

* * *

_June 22, 2016_  
**2fast2spooky** replied:  
I’m going to the mods with this. I don’t know if this is real or a prank, or a cry for help or what, but it’s really messed up

* * *

_June 22, 2016_  
**Harlequin** replied:  
@imgoinggeist please don’t go back. Get some help. There isn't a witch.

* * *

_June 22, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
I’m coming up to the house. It’s the middle of the day. Maybe she won’t be here

* * *

_June 22, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
I’m inside now

* * *

_June 22, 2016_  
**welcomevisitor** replied:  
I hope you don’t think you’re being funny. This is really messed up. Get out of there and go home. Get some help

* * *

_June 22, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
It’s ok. I don’t feel anything weird. I think I just need to see the woman in white’s picture again.

* * *

_June 22, 2016_  
**welcomevisitor** replied:  
Stop it

* * *

_June 22, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
I think you guys are right. They look similar, but the woman I saw was older. It can’t be her.  
Sorry for worrying you. Leaving now.

* * *

_June 22, 2016_  
**imgoinggeist** replied:  
One last pic  


* * *

_June 22, 2016_  
**welcomevisitor** replied:  
THAT'S NOT FUNNY

* * *

**_[THIS THREAD HAS BEEN LOCKED BY A MODERATOR]_ **

**Author's Note:**

> Based off a combination of the 'modern day investigation' and the 'witch in modern day' prompts.
> 
> (credit for the images in this work belongs to actual music video and Getty Images)


End file.
